Oh boy...

Im not sure if I was encouraged or driven further into insanity to see how many things popped up when I entered "Im totally freaking out about running my first marathon" into google. Fact of the matter is, I am. I dont know how much of it is nervousness, how much of it is excitement and how much of it is soul wrenching terror. I believe that I have trained about as consistently, smartly and fully as I possibly could have, and I feel about as ready as my body can be, but its the unknown that has me doing backflips in my head. So, heres what Im thinking all day, every day, all at the same time, non stop:

-The weather. Looks like its not going to rain, will it be cool enough? Will there be clouds? Will it be too sunny?

-What should I wear? Do I bother with the arm sleves?

-What is this knee pain business? Ive trained for 7 months for this and my knee hasnt hurt once, now 6 days away it decides to start aching?

-Will my foot hold up? It hasnt hurt at all in 2 weeks, but I also havent run more than a 12 miler in two weeks.

-Will I be able to sleep? Usually next day excitement keeps me up more than a six pack of redbull with a nodoze chaser, I NEED SLEEP!

-What do I eat the night before? I know Im supposed to eat carbs this week, then eat light and normal on Saturday, but what? What if I get something that doesnt agree with me?

-Where should I start my pace? Do I just try and run all of my splits the same? Run slower at first, pick it up at the end?

-Have I done enough? Can I do it? Will I do it?

So yeah, my head wants to explode, then I stop, take a breathe, and remember some things that people have told me, and things that I KNOW are true:

-"Trust your training, Respect the distance. You'll be fine" Lisa

-"Stop freaking out, you just have to go out there and run." Dana. She said this to me this morning, and I have to admit, it was exactly what I needed to hear. She's right, I just have to go out and run, I do this every day. I have to respect the distance and know what Im getting into, but its running, I know I can do that.

-Ive prepared for this. There is so much that is unknown, but I have trained really hard, and really consistently, and I know that all of the variables that I can control, which are only a few, are under control.

-Ultimately I know this will be an unforgetable experience. Just like "Spirit of the Marathon" says, when I cross that finish line, no matter how fast, or how slow, no matter how good I feel, or how much pain Im in, it will change my life forever.